Since 1966, the Wolfpack has played its home games at Carter-Finley Stadium. On September 16, 2010, NC State restored the tradition of having a live mascot on the field as a wolf-like Tamaskan Dog named Tuffy was on the sidelines for the Cincinnati game in Raleigh.[2] Since then, Tuffy has not missed a Wolfpack football game in Carter-Finley Stadium.

NC State (then known as The North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts) played its first football game against a team from the Raleigh Male Academy on March 12, 1892 in what is now Pullen Park. The Aggies, whose colors were blue and pink, won 12-6 in front of more than 200 spectators. The following year, the school played its first intercollegiate game: a 12-6 victory over Tennessee College.[3] The program's long-standing rivalry with nearby University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill began on October 12, 1894 with a 44-0 UNC victory in Chapel Hill. Eight days later, the team (then called the Farmers) lost again to UNC, 16-0 in Raleigh.[4] In 1895, under third-year coach Bart Gatling, the team wore red and white uniforms for the first time.[3] Over the next five seasons the program continued to try to establish itself, achieving only one winning season during the period. The football team has also only had scholarship football players since 1933, prior to that all Wolfpack athletics consisted entirely of non-scholarship student athletes.

In 1906, in a game against Randolph-Macon in Raleigh, the Farmers attempted their first forward pass, a play that had only recently become legal and at the time was still considered a "trick" play.[3] The following season was the program's most successful yet. Under coach Mickey Whitehurst, A&M won the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship with a 6–0–1 record. That season, the program also recorded its first ever victory over Virginia.[5] The Farmers played their home games that season on campus at the New Athletic Park, which would later be known as Riddick Stadium.[6] In addition to Pullen Park, the state fairgrounds had hosted some games prior to the opening of the new stadium.[6]

The team won a second South Atlantic championship in 1910 under coach Edward Green, finishing with a record of 4–0–2. A win over Virginia Tech in Norfolk that season was dubbed the "biggest game ever played in the South". Coach Green led team to a third conference championship in 1913, with a record of 6–1.[6]

The 1918 season was cut short due to the United States' entrance into World War I and a severe flu outbreak on campus. The team's roster was depleted, its schedule reduced to four games, and practice was suspended for five weeks in October and November. A week after practice resumed, State College, as the school was then called, led by coach Tal Stafford, was defeated 128-0 by Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Tackle John Ripple was named the program's first All-American. The following season, on October 23, the Farmers resumed play with North Carolina after a 14-year hiatus. The Tar Heels won the game 13-12 in Raleigh. It wasn't until 1920 that A&M defeated the rival Tar Heels for the first time.[6]

In 1921 State College began wearing red sweaters and were referred to by the local media as the Wolfpack. The program joined the Southern Conference that year and would win the conference title six seasons later under coach Gus Tebell and running back Jack McDowall. The 1930 season saw the installation of field lighting at Riddick Stadium, as the Wolfpack defeated High Point University, 37-0, in the team's first ever night game.[6]

Williams Newton took over as State's head coach in 1937, and under his tutelage the team compiled a record of 24–39–6.[7][8] Under Newton, State employed a ground-oriented, hard nose attack that put pressure on the opposing interior linemen. Newton left NC State after seven seasons to accept the head football coach position at South Carolina.

In 1944, State hired Beattie Feathers as head coach. Feathers, a former star at Tennessee and the first NFL running back to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, compiled a 37–38–8 record in eight seasons, the program's most successful coaching tenure yet. In Feathers' second season, Wolfpack defensive player Howard "Touchdown" Turner returned an interception 105 yards against Duke, a record that still stands as the longest play in Wolfpack history. The 1946 season began with wins over Duke and Clemson, earning the program their first appearance in the UPI poll (19th). 1947 saw the Wolfpack reach their first ever bowl game, the second annual Gator Bowl. The team lost to Oklahoma, 34-13, and finished the season at 8–3, the highest win total since finishing 9–1 in 1927. The Wolfpack's first ever nationally televised game was played in 1950. State defeated eighth-ranked Maryland 16-13 in College Park.[6] The game aired on the now-defunct Dumont Television Network.

Horace Hendrickson was promoted from assistant coach to head coach after Feathers' departure. Under Hendrickson's tutelage, the Wolfpack struggled, compiling a record of 4–16. Hendrickson was fired after two seasons due to the team's struggles.

NC State joined the newly formed Atlantic Coast Conference in 1953 as a charter member. The team finished 1–9 that year under head coach Hendrickson.[6]

After Edwards' retirement, State promoted Al Michaels from assistant coach to head coach. Things didn't pan out for Michaels, as the Wolfpack compiled a 3–8 record in his only year as head coach.[13] Michaels was fired after just one season.[14]

In 1972, State hired Lou Holtz away from William & Mary as head coach. Holtz had a 33–12–3 record in four seasons at NC State.[15] His Wolfpack teams played in four bowl games, going 2–1–1.[15][16] Holtz's 1972 team finished 8–3–1, won the Peach Bowl and finished the season ranked #17 in the final AP poll.[15] Holtz's 1973 team finished 9–3, won the Liberty Bowl and finished the season ranked #16 in the final AP poll.[15] The 1974 team finished 9–2–1, tied in the Bluebonnet Bowl and finished the season ranked #9 in the Coaches' poll and #11 in the AP poll.[15]

Following the 1979 season, Rein resigned as head football coach at State to accept the same position at LSU, but Rein died tragically in a plane crash before ever coaching a game for the Tigers.[19][20]

Following every season, the NC State football team awards the "Bo Rein Award" to a player that makes a vital contribution in an unsung role.[21]

After Rein's departure, NC State hired Arkansas defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin as head coach.[22] Kiffin served three seasons at State and his teams compiled a 16–17 record.[23] Kiffin's defensive coordinator during his three seasons at NCSU was Pete Carroll.[22][24] Kiffin decided to leave NCSU after three seasons to pursue coaching opportunities in the NFL.

Tom Reed was hired away from Miami (OH) to take over as head coach of the Wolfpack after Kiffin's departure.[25] State struggled under Reed's leadership, posting three consecutive 3–8 yearly records en route to a 9–24 overall mark.[26] Under mounting pressure from fans, alumni and the school administration, Reed resigned after the 1985 season.[27]

State chose Dick Sheridan, head coach at Furman, to take over as head coach of the Wolfpack football program in late 1986.[28] Under the tutelage of coach Sheridan, the Wolfpack compiled a record of 52–29–3.[29] State made six bowl appearances (two wins) and finished ranked in either the AP or Coaches poll three times.[29]

Mike O'Cain was promoted from quarterbacks coach to head coach after Sheridan's retirement. Under O'Cain, the Wolfpack compiled a record of 41–40.[31] O'Cain's seven-year tenure saw three bowl appearances, including a win in the 1994 Peach Bowl.[31]

Despite mostly winning seasons, O'Cain's 1995 and 1996 teams finished with 3–8 records, and although the Wolfpack finished 6–5, 7–5 and 6–6 the next three years, State went 0–7 against archrival North Carolina and fielded mediocre football teams.[32] NCSU fired O'Cain after the 1999 season.[32]

In 2000, longtime college football assistant and NCSU alum Chuck Amato was hired as State's head football coach.[33] Although Amato had no head coaching or coordinating experience, NCSU felt that Amato's eighteen-year tenure as defensive line coach under Bobby Bowden at Florida State, winning two national championships, would help boost recruiting, ticket sales, and program prestige.

Amato accumulated an overall record of 49–37, including a record of 34–17 during the four-year period from 2000 through 2003 while Philip Rivers was the Wolfpack's starting quarterback.[34] Amato's most successful season was in 2002 when the Wolfpack defeated Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl to cap off an 11–win season in which his team finished ranked #12 in the AP poll.[34]

After Philip Rivers graduated and left for the NFL, NC State finished 5–6 in 2004, 7–5 in 2005, and 3–9 in 2006.[34] On November 26, 2006, Amato was fired by NC State athletics director Lee Fowler after a seven–game losing streak capped off the 2006 season.[35] Noted losses include an upset by Akron, a third straight loss to archrival North Carolina, and a loss at home to East Carolina.[35] Highlights of the 2006 season include wins against Boston College and Florida State. In a statement, Fowler acknowledged Amato's "excitement and enthusiasm." This enthusiasm fueled an $87 million renovation to Carter-Finley Stadium. Nonetheless, mediocre 2005 and 2006 seasons led to the decision "to take the program in a new direction."[36]

Tom O'Brien was hired away from Boston College and named NCSU head football coach in December 2006.[37] He inherited a team that had gone 3–9 and lost its last seven games. In his first year, after opening the season 1–5, his team pulled together and won four straight games, including a win over 18th-ranked Virginia and tough road wins at East Carolina and Miami. Despite the slow start, his first Wolfpack squad went into the season finale with a bowl bid on the line.[38][39]

The 2008 season will go down as one of the best of O'Brien's tenure, as the Wolfpack became the first in Atlantic Coast Conference history to start the season 0–4 in league play and finish 4–0. The bid to the Papajohns.com Bowl marked the ninth bowl invitation in the past 10 years for O'Brien. His freshman quarterback, Russell Wilson, who would go on to become a Super Bowl winning quarterback for the NFL's Seattle Seahawks, became the first rookie in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference to be named first-team all-conference at his position and it marked the sixth time in his 19 years in the league that a quarterback under O'Brien's tutelage was named the All-ACC signal caller.[38][39]

After being picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Division in the preseason in 2010, the Wolfpack finished tied for second, was one game away from playing for an ACC title and was the third league team picked in the bowl selections. O'Brien's squad was the first Wolfpack team to garner nine wins since 2003 posted State’s first winning season in five years. With the Champs Sports Bowl victory over West Virginia, the 2010 squad tied the second highest win total in school history while finishing 9-4.[39]

On November 25, 2012, O'Brien received notice from NC State that he had been dismissed effective immediately despite navigating the team to a 7–5 regular-season record.[41] Athletic director Debbie Yow cited several reasons.[41] She was concerned over lagging season-ticket sales, as well as his approach to recruiting.[41] O'Brien's recruiting classes were frequently in the bottom half of the nation, and Yow wanted a coach who could bring top 25-type talent to Raleigh.[41] NCSU was obligated to pay $1.2 million of non-state funds to O'Brien, as his contract ran through the 2015 season.[42] However, NCSU ended up only having to pay O'Brien $200,000 after the buyout was renegotiated so he could become an assistant at Virginia.[43]

On December 1, 2012, Debbie Yow announced that Northern Illinois head coach Dave Doeren would be the new head coach of the Wolfpack.[44] His total annual salary is $1.8 million.[45] In Doeren's first season at the helm, the Wolfpack compiled a record of 3–9 and failed to win an ACC game. [46] In his second season, they improved to 8–5 (one of the fastest turnarounds in school history), and won the 2014 St. Petersburg Bowl. They also posted a decisive 35-7 win against archrival North Carolina.[47] Doeren accomplished all this with the 3rd youngest team in the nation.[48]

From 1891 until 1907, the school's first teams played on the open fields that surrounded campus, either at Pullen Park, at the old North Carolina State Fairgrounds or on the farm tracts on the "other" side of the railroad tracks. In 1907, faculty members, alumni and students began collecting money to enclose a large tract of land behind the Main Building that would become the home of the football and baseball teams. The Aggies played their first game there against Randolph Macon, recording a 20-0 win. Wooden grandstands slowly rose on the site, and it was named Riddick Field in 1912, after popular professor W.C. Riddick, who is remembered as the father of athletics at the school.[49]

Carter-Finley Stadium is the current home to the football team. It was opened in 1966 and now has a seating capacity of 57,583 seats.

The stadium replaced the obsolete on-campus Riddick Stadium and was originally named Carter Stadium, in honor of Harry C. & Wilbert J. "Nick" Carter, both graduates of the university. They were major contributors to the original building of the stadium. The name of Albert E. Finley, another major contributor to the University, was added in 1978.

Since the 1960s, the Wolfpack has been represented at athletic events by its mascots, Mr. and Ms. Wuf. In print, the 'Strutting Wolf' is used and is known by the name 'Tuffy.' In September 2010, a purebred Tamaskan Dog became the new live mascot.[50][51][52][53][54]